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Found on eBay: 1981 Mercedes-Benz 300TD pickup

1 of 5Nothing to see here: From the front, this looks like a worn but stock 1981 Mercedes-Benz W123 300TD estate wagon.

Photo by eBay

2 of 5A change of perspective makes a huge difference.

Photo by eBay

3 of 5The seller claims this home-brew pickup conversion is in relatively solid shape. Given the ruggedness of the 300TD estate wagon, we're inclined to believe him.

Photo by eBay

4 of 5That gate isn't just for looks. It's removable to ease the loading of whatever you put in the back of a butchered luxury wagon.

Photo by eBay

5 of 5Under the hood is the Mercedes-Benz diesel that made the W123 estate famous -- and it has even less weight to pull around now.

Photo by eBay

There's just something special about a lovingly neglected Mercedes-Benz W123 300TD estate wagon that excites us. Perhaps it's the knowledge that we could, at any time, pick one up for a very reasonable sum and drive it across Africa with minimal mechanical modification.

But this … thing … we found on eBay while browsing for reasonably priced W123 wagons (as we are wont to do) hasn't been lovingly neglected.

No, it has been transformed. Only, from the seller's description and images of the front of the Benz, you'd never know it.

It's not until you browse the photo gallery that the truth emerges: This particular W123 estate has been converted into some kind of Teutonic take on the El Camino. Or Ranchero, if you're a Ford guy.

Oddly, the seller never actually mentions the fact that the former wagon now sports a pickup bed. The listing's description mentions that the sheetmetal “needs a sand and a little filler” back by where the cab was welded into existence, but that's it -- almost as if this improvised feature is so routine that it doesn't merit specific mention. Or justification.

Chances are you'll love it, hate it or just be flat-out confused by it -- but hey, it comes with a free AutoCheck vehicle history report, so you can at least bid with confidence.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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